Morrisons Recalled Thousands Of Packs Of Green Beans After Customers Found Needles, Police To Investigate

A nationwide recall for green beans has been issued by Morrisons following two customers’ discovery of several metal needles concealed in the vegetables

200 miles apart:

One of the women live in Glasgow, while the other lives in Manchester. They made the shocking discovery after buying the vegetables during Easter weekend.

49-year-old Margaret Lynch discovered 12 needles or metal spikes while chopping the beans. They seemed to her like they were deliberately inserted before they made their way to the store.

While 41-year-old cancer survivor Sarah Parry, discovered the needle after biting into a metal needle which stabbed into her gums.

Morrisons informed authorities of the accident in order to investigate, after they issued a nationwide recall.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police stated that they are investigating the incident, and said: ‘We are supporting Morrison’s while they investigate to establish what has happened and if there was any malicious intent.’

Parry, the victim from Manchester, said: “I’ve just got over cancer and as a result I lost a lot of my teeth. I chew with my front teeth and luckily I didn’t swallow it the needle. My mouth is very sensitive and I bit into the green bean and it was there in the center. It stabbed me in the gum. When I opened the beans, they literally seemed fine from the front but I found the needle right in the center of the bean. It could have gone down my throat and punctured an organ. The needle itself was around two and a half inches and a bit thicker than a normal sewing needle. Because I threw the others away straight after, I wouldn’t know if there were others but they could have been in the rest of the pack too.”

Parry said that she returned the vegetables on Tuesday, but when she went back to the store on Wednesday, packs of green beans with the same date were on the shelf.

Parry was offered a £5 voucher by the manager when she returned the vegetables. But now she’s angry to learn that she wasn’t the only victim.

Ongoing investigation:

Sarah said: ‘I didn’t report it to the police but I know Morrisons had phone them. The police came round yesterday to talk about it and I gave them a statement.’

Margaret Lynch, the other customer, discovered 12 needles in the vegetables when she was cutting them up to prepare dinner for her family.

Lynch filed a complaint with Morrison after returning the green beans. She said: “I’ve had bugs in salad and that’s more acceptable because it’s natural, but I won’t be buying green beans again. If I hadn’t seen them when I was cutting of the ends, I could have injured my mouth – it’s easily done. I luckily noticed something was wrong when I first looked at them.”

She continued: “When I went in on Sunday, they had taken them all off the shelves and there were no green beans at all. They’ve basically told me it’s a major investigation. However when I spoke to the manager who had looked through them, they said nothing was found in the rest. Some poor child or pensioner could have been seriously injured.’

“We have been made aware of two incidents involving metal being found in two packets of green beans,” a Morrisons spokesperson said. “The health and safety of our customers is our top priority, so as a precaution, we are recalling the products and are continuing with our investigation. The relevant authorities have been informed and we are also talking to the two customers.’